SOBE Overboard
by CookBookSOBE
Summary: Judah Paloyo loves to cook. That's why he took the temporary job as personal chef on a couple's yacht. Widowed two years before he wasn't ready to love again until he met Kyle Janaskie. One problem though, she's his boss's wife. But when she falls overboard and is found with amnesia Judah has a chance to find what it would be like to love again. Story based off movie Overboard.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note

My friend has been telling me about their newest book and characters and they were just so cute I couldn't wait till the book was published to write a fic about them.

There are some elements in the story I know the author wanted revealed later in their books, but they don't think I'll get enough readers for it to matter ("Why would anyone want to read fics about characters they know nothing about?") But let's see if we can't prove my friend wrong.

Though I don't have much time, I had a free day in which I wrote the whole story. I only had enough time to go over it once so please excuse any errors or discrepancies, it was just something written for fun. Hope you enjoy it.

Tl;dr

Writing fanfic based off book friend is currently working on. Some liberties have been taken with characters but they are close to being true to how they will be in the original story. I am also taking liberties with the story of Overboard to cast the characters in.

Chapter One

Mrs. Kyle Janaskie, she did not take her husband's name, was lounging on the sundeck of her husband's yacht. Dressed in swim shorts and a rash guard, she was enjoying a good thick book when a confused looking young man stepped into view. Though short, he had an air to him that made him look taller in character than build. His skin was naturally tan and he had an athletes build, which Kyle admired without losing focus of her place in the book.

"Excuse me," his voice had a boyish quality to it, but there was no doubt that he was a man, "Do you know where the Mrs. Of this ship is?"

Kyle finally lowered her book, setting it on her lap in an elegant manner, as she lifted her eyes to the man's. To an outside observer she looked completely bored with the situation going on in front of her. And perhaps she was in a way. She had dealt with this event many a time and though she had not yet grown tired it, it was still something that pulled her from what she wanted, to not be bothered.

"I am the Mrs. Of this ship."

He looked startled for a moment as he took note of her wardrobe and short hair. It only took him a moment to notice the gentler more feminine features. His face went red with embarrassment.

He was rather cute, in a simple, home spun kind of way.

"Sorry, Ma'am." She felt her body tense at the word. "I'm Judah Paloyo, the new cook your husband hired for the ship."

Once she'd heard this, Kyle again lifted the book to her eyes, signaling she was done with the conversation. He just stood there, looking agitated as he rocked back and forth on his heals as if waiting for something. But she did not give him any more notice as she turned the page of her book.

"There you are," came a sharp tone as Cole Derringer, the owner of the ship, came around the side of the ship, "You're the new cook, right?"

The young man looked like someone placed between a rock and a hard place, the cold dispassionate mistress of the ship on one side, the stormy flame of a master on the other. All he could manage was a nod as Cole let out an impatient huff.

"Follow me."

Kyle listened as her husband grumbled while leading the chef down to the galley, "The ship isn't that big, how could you get lost? I had almost called to tell you not to bother coming if you were going to be late."

The whole way Judah Paloyo apologized, his shoulders curving in a subservient manner as his head ducked with each insult. Kyle let out a long slow breath as she turned the page in her book.

"We'll see how long this one lasts."

Then she became lost again in her book as the waves gently rocked the moored ship.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Judah Paloyo didn't know what to make of the Derringer's. First off, the wife was not referred to as Mrs. Derringer, but Mrs. Janaskie. He had no idea what that was about. Didn't the wife usually hyphenate the name if she wanted to keep her own? And he'd only ever heard of movie stars keeping their own last names when married, but he did not recognize Mrs. Janaskie. But there were a lot of stars these days he hadn't heard of. She was pretty enough that she could have been someone famous. If not movies then perhaps modeling. She did have the long lithe figure for it.

That was where the other strange thing came into play. Though she had beautiful features, she preferred to keep them covered up with sweaters and long pants. When the couple went out to a party on another friends boat they were both dressed in tuxedos, though Judah would not say Mrs. Janaskie did not look good in the getup. Even when she was dressed like a man she had an elegant beauty to her.

The final nail in the strange coffin was how everyone referred to both Mr. Derringer and Mrs. Janaskie as sir. It made things confusing at times for Judah when he didn't know which of the couple the workers were referring to. At one point he was told to take some food to Mr. Derringer. But Judah hadn't heard the name, or they hadn't said it, all they said was to take the food the master of the ship. If they were both sir, did that also make Mrs. Janaskie the master of the ship.

He was still new to it all and could not tell from the coldness in the steward's voice that he was referring to Mr. Derringer. Not noticing any of this he ended up taking the food to the sundeck where Mrs. Janaskie was often found.

She wasn't there so he headed off to the only other place she could be found. The bedroom.

He hesitated for a moment outside the room then knocked.

"Come in," came the smooth reply.

On entering he found the woman to be stretched out on her bed, with her long legs stretched out beneath her, and a pillow proper up at her arm on which she gazed down at her book. She was still clothed in her bathing suit, but had probably come in since the sun as too bright to read in. Usually she sat under an umbrella which remedied this, but a recent gust of wind had broken it and it had yet to be replaced.

Judah was reminded of this as he admired her alabaster skin, and bleached blonde hair that looked as if it had been kissed by the sun.

Too late he realized he'd been staring as Kyle lifted her eyes from the pages of the book. Again he was struck by how beautiful she was. The analogy of the sun also came up again as her golden eyes practically glowed as she stared at him.

"Can I help you?"

"Uh," he suddenly forgot why he was there at the low timbre of her voice. It was like listening to the rumble a tiger makes in its throat when it purrs. Pleasant, but at the same time frightening, when you remembered just how dangerous the creature was. It wasn't just some house cat, it was the king of the jungle.

"Your food," the response came like a squeak as he suddenly remembered the reason. He held out the food to her as if she needed to see it to remember.

Her eyebrow arched in interest as she stared at the plate.

Judah had studied his craft in a good school, but his craft was far from Michelin star quality. He had wanted to learn more but circumstance had prevented him. He had only secured this job because a friend knew someone important and had recommended him to the ship's owner while they were in port. It was only a temporary job before they were ready to set sail again. Their own chef was sick but was sure to recover by the time the ship was ready to go.

"I just have a bit more business in port and then we can go," was something Judah had heard Cole tell Mrs. Janaskie on multiple occasions. Kyle didn't look like she cared about the excuse. Judah didn't know if it was because she had heard it enough or if she didn't care whether or not they ever left port again. She seemed content just sitting undisturbed out on the deck with a big book.

"That's not mine," came Kyle's quick response before she returned her eyes to the book in front of her.

The answer stunned him as Judah again just stood there in silence his mind buzzing with white noise.

Seeing he was still there, Kyle did not lift her eyes, as she told him, "That platter would be for Mr. Derringer."

Judah had noticed in his short time there that Mrs. Janaskie never referred to her husband as her husband. It was always Mr. Derringer. Very formal and closed off. He wondered if they had a happy marriage. But it was none of his business, especially when he only had three more days left to serve on the ship.

Thanking her, he turned away to deliver to food to the actual owner. Before he could the ship made an unexpected movement, as he reached out to grab the door frame of the closet to steady himself. Looking back to make sure Mrs. Janaskie was okay, he found her to be unaffected by the movement.

Standing up straight, he continued to hold onto the doorframe as he leaned against it, "I guess I haven't got my sea legs yet." He grinned at his joke but again she was unaffected as she turned the page in her book. He was about to push off and forget the whole thing when the ship shook again, it was all he could do to not fall over or drop the food, has his one arm went wind milling, even as his other did its best to keep the trey level. Finally he found his footing as he stopped in a crouched position that must have looked utterly ridiculous to Mrs. Janaskie.

He glanced over and found her to not be looking at him at all. Well, at least there was that blessing. He stood up straight, adjusting his tie, then headed out.

Mr. Derringer was on the phone when he entered the office. The man motioned for him to stay quiet as he pointed to an area on his desk for Judah to leave the food. Judah did just that before leaving the room.

Judah could count on one hand the times he had seen the couple in the same room. The time they'd gone out to the party, the time Cole had come back to get Judah when he'd been lost, and one other brief encounter when Kyle had passed Cole on her way back to the sun deck.

Was theirs a marriage of convenience? Though Cole seemed like an apt businessman it was Kyle who seemed like the one with money.

Again Judah reminded himself it was none of his business. He was just a passing ship in the night. And before he knew it Mrs. Janaskie would be nothing more than a distant memory. An ethereal remembrance that after a time he'd wonder if he hadn't exaggerated in his mind. Much like another woman in his life.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Kyle was walking the length of the ship, stretching her legs after a long time of reading. Just walking back and forth wasn't enough today so she headed down the stairs into the bowels of the ship. Passing the galley she heard the staff talking.

"She'll be turning five this year."

The voice made her stop as she made a cursory glance into the room. Everyone was gathered around the new cook as he showed them an image.

"And this is Arin, he thinks of himself as the man of the house when I'm not around."

"How old is he?"

"Seven."

The steward saw her before Kyle could continue past, "Mrs. Janaskie."

The crew acted like they hadn't been chatting as they hurried to look busy. Only Judah was left standing like a deer stuck in headlights.

He really was a simple soul. But Kyle found it adorable. Some people prided themselves on keeping what they were thinking and feeling to themselves, but Judah was like an open book.

A book Kyle wouldn't have minded curling up with and reading.

"Did you need something, Sir?" inquired the steward.

Kyle waved away his concerns with her hand, he bowed before heading off to his own station. Judah was the only one left as the others had also gone off to their own places.

Her legs were still tight from sitting too long. She stepped into the kitchen, as she watched Judah's face go a shade pink. The edge of her mouth curled ever so slightly.

He was still holding the photo in his hand. She took a hold of his wrist as she lifted his hand so she could inspect the photo herself. Three young ones were pictured, a little girl with olive skin and dark hair was smiling sweetly in a flower print dress. Next to her was a dark chocolate boy who almost looked to be scowling at the camera. In between them stood another girl with a cherub's face and golden brown curls.

Kyle lifted her eyes from the photo to the face of the young man, her eyebrow arched with a question.

"They're adopted," came his reply, knowing the question before she voiced it, "My wife and I couldn't have kids so we took them in."

Kyle dropped his hand, it hit the side of his leg like a raggedy dolls arm.

"You don't wear a ring."

Judah touched the bare spot like someone touching an old wound, "I never did. It's dangerous to wear one in the kitchen. But…" his voice sounded tight as he finally forced out the words, "She passed away two years ago."

The two stood in silence for a time as the words floated around the room like phantoms.

Sorry felt wrong to say.

Cold.

Distant.

Not enough.

Instead of saying anything, Kyle stepped up to the counter where a carrot was waiting on a cutting board. Picking up the knife waiting beside it she turned back to him.

"Show me."

He looked confused as he stared at the knife. She motioned back to the carrot with the point of the knife.

"Show me how to cut it."

Realization dawned in his eyes as a smile cautiously returned to his face.

"Right, here." He held out his hand for the knife but she kept it in her hands.

"No. Show me."

She took his hand again, placing it over the top of hers. Again his face went pink as his already thin lips looked to completely disappear as they stretched in an uncomfortable expression.

She let his hand slide off hers as she turned back to the counter. Holding the carrot with her free hand she started to chop at the carrot. The movement was stilted as she struggled to get the thick end to cut through in one movement.

"No, do it like this."

His body was pressed up behinds hers as he slid his hands around her side to grip the carrot along with her one hand while holding the knife along with her other.

"Hold the food steady with your non-knife hand, curling your fingers into a claw and tucking your knuckles underneath."

His breath was hot on her neck as he voiced the instructions. She did as he demonstrated as he moved onto the knife.

"With the tip of the blade in constant contact with the cutting board, pull the knife backwards slightly until the blade slices into the food. It's sharp enough that it will do most of the work for you. You don't have to force it."

Kyle's heart was pounding in her ears. Never before had she felt like this, not when she'd procured a full scholarship to an ivy league school, not when Mr. Derringer had proposed to her, not when she'd learned that he'd doubled her inheritance. It had always felt like there was something missing in her life. She had always felt the emptiness, but never had she paid it attention. She had thought it was something she would always have. And yet, something about being close to this man made her feel as if she could be whole. Complete.

"Continue by pressing downwards and forwards, using the full length of the blade to slice through the food."

If he felt anything, Judah did not let on, as he seemed cool the whole time. To him, it must have felt like teaching a fellow cook, or teaching one of his children in the kitchen at home. There was nothing more to it for him.

Thinking this made Kyle's eyes sting as she pulled her hands out from his. He moved back as she pressed back against him. His eyes showed confusion as she turned to look at him.

"Is everything okay?"

She wiped at the edge of her eyes, "The onions are getting to me."

She left the room, only remembering later that there hadn't been any onions.

She'd made a complete fool of herself. She wouldn't be doing that again.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Kyle was stretched out on the bed in a set of white satin pajamas. Her head propped up on a pillow with a book lying open on a reading stand. But her eyes were not on the book. Her eyes were cast off to the side, gazing out the bedroom window.

The bed was large, taking up a good portion of the room, more than enough room for two people. This is the first thing Judah noticed when he entered the room.

Not only had he been hired to make the food but also deliver it. He's been over most of the ship and had only found one bedroom. A fact which surprised him with how cold the couple were to one another.

The second thing he noticed was her neck. Usually it was covered by a collar or hidden behind a book, but today, with her head turned to the window, he noticed how long and elegant it was. As his eyes traveled down it he noticed to marks on her otherwise perfect skin. Two moles, which were positioned on her like vampire bites.

He cleared his throat, getting her attention, as she slowly shifted her head back to look at him. Again he was struck by her eyes, which gazed at him in a tired manner.

"I realized you haven't called for food at all today. I thought I'd bring you something light to eat before bed."

He held out the trey for her to inspect, a plate of diced fruit and some steamed vegetables.

In his short time there he had noted that Mrs. Janaskie preferred foods that were easy to eat with one's fingers while reading. She was always picking at the salads he brought, or only ate the toppings of the pizza when it had cooled enough to pick off the vegetables and meats.

She did not say anything but motioned for him to bring over the tray. As he set it down she let out a forlorn sigh. The tone of it made his own heart ache in sympathy for her, though he did not know what could be bringing her such sadness.

Before he knew it he asked, "Is something wrong?"

Her eyes were back at the window as she replied in a distant voice, "My parents are visiting in two days."

The pronouncement did not sound like something good, as her voice sounded heavy with the words.

He wanted to apologize but did not know why.

Finally he managed a, "Do you not get along?"

"They like Mr. Derringer well enough, but me…" her voice became heavier as her words broke off.

Something about it told him not to press her.

"Is there anything I can do?"

He didn't know why he said it. What could he do? He barely knew her.

Finally she looked at him again with a look that made his heart startle in his chest. It was an expression that begged for him to take her away from there, but in the next moment the look was gone as she regained her placid demeanor.

"That will be all, Mr. Paloyo."

Judah bowed his head before exiting the room.

But the whole night all he could think about was that look and how much pain had filled the room as she'd revealed her insecurities. If only there was something he could do he would do it. But he was leaving in one day, gone before the in laws arrived to torment their daughter. And how much could one do to help someone in a single day?


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

One more day, then her life would be completely over. Or, that's how it always felt when Kyle's parents came to visit.

They were never happy with her. She'd never done enough for them. Never accomplished anything, as far as they were concerned. They didn't care that she'd graduated school early, acquired a doctorate, or been the one to walk down the aisle with Cole Derringer. No, as far as they were concerned she was just a trophy wife who had been lucky enough to secure Mr. Derringer's attention.

"But for how long?" was always her mother's question, "Your looks aren't going to last forever. And with the way you dress, what is there to keep his attention? Some would think there were two men in this relationship."

Kyle wanted to laugh when she heard these words from her mother. She wanted to scream, to remind her that it was because of her she was this way.

"You probably wouldn't even be happy if I died, you'd find something to complain about."

But Kyle never voiced these words. Instead she got online and ordered another pile of books to distract herself with.

But while they were there the books would not help her. No matter how many she used as a barrier they would still be there, their voices just at the barrier of her hearing, voicing their various complaints about her, and their sorrow for Mr. Derringer who had to "put up with her eccentricities."

One more day, then she would experience it all again, like a nightmare that repeated itself each night, starting up where it had left off the previous night.

Someone cleared their throat, bringing her thoughts back to the present. Yes, she had one more day to prepare herself. Until then, she wasn't going to give them a second thought.

Judah was the one who had cleared his throat. He was standing in front of her in his chef's outfit holding a trey of various finger foods. Seeing him reminded her that this was the last time she'd see him. The last time she'd hear his voice, see his bright smile, which made his eyes crinkle in amusement. The last time she'd find him staring at her like one gazed at a piece of art in wonder. Too stunned to speak or even breath. No one had ever gazed at her like that before. To Mr. Derringer she was just another piece to his growing empire. To her parents she was a disgrace. To other socialites she was an anomaly.

"In case you're hungry," said Judah as he set down the food beside her.

He started to go but she heard herself call out, "Wait."

He looked back, an expectant expression on his face. She didn't know how he managed it, but his left eyebrow was always swooped up, like he'd rubbed at it but forgotten to straighten it again. Sometimes she'd felt like reaching out and combing it back, she felt that urge again in this moment, but as always ignored it.

Instead she looked back at the food, slices of fruit, cheeses, and meats. She looked back to him.

"Today is your last day, correct?"

He nodded, as if stunned that she'd remember such a thing.

"Make me something incredible. The thing that you'd say you're famous for."

"Are you sure?" His lower lip curled in as his eyebrows rose in a curious expression.

She felt a sudden urge to sit there seeing all his expressions, but dismissed this wish as she told him, "Astonish me."

His eyes were glittering as he took on that open mouthed smile that made her grip the pillow under her or risk grabbing him instead. Then he was gone, completely forgetting to take the food back with him.

With him gone she distracted herself with the books around her. But she found herself reading over the same sentence again and again as her mind filled with images of his smile. The way it twitched at first with insecurity, then stuck on full blast in all its brightness. The way his eyes glittered when he talked about food or his kids. It made her breathless when she thought about his eyes. About his hands, so strong and yet so gentle in the way he prepared the various foods. She had snuck down to the galley on more occasions than she cared to admit just to watch him cook. He always seemed to be lost in his own world when he cooked and never noticed her as he glided about the kitchen, like some kind of cooking angel. Every time he'd reached up to brush back his hair from his eyes she'd feel her heart stop. What did his hair feel like? She longed to know. She imagined it was soft like a puppy, after all, every time she looked in his eyes she felt like she was gazing into the eyes of innocence incarnate.

What had she done to be blessed enough to have him come into her life?

But then she recalled he was leaving and realized it wasn't a blessing but a curse. To have someone in her life for only a short time, only to have him torn away, never to be seen again, was nothing other than torture. Like dangling food in front of a starving man, just letting his lips touch the morsel, before pulling it away.

That thought took her think of Judah's lips. They weren't that thick but she imagined they were full of passion. The same passion that oozed from him when he spoke about anything. She'd love to hear that passion focused on words about her, but that was a dream she could not dwell on. To do so would break her heart in two.

How different would things have been if she'd met him before Mr. Derringer? But even she couldn't play that fantasy through. There was no way she would have met him, they ran in two completely different circles. And yet, she had somehow managed to meet him now.

Still, this was nothing more than a fantasy she'd have to let go of. He was leaving and once gone her life would return to how it had always been: completely devoid of meaning.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Something about Mrs. Janaskie seemed different to Judah when he returned with her food. She'd seemed almost playful when he'd left her, but on his return there was a dark cloud above her.

Had thoughts of her parents impending visit clouded her mood?

He wished there was something he could do to cheer her up. But all he could do was present her with the requested food and hope she enjoyed it.

"I'm sorry it's so simple," was what he said when he removed the cover of the food to reveal a serving of puchero, "this is one of my kids favorite dishes from the Philippines."

The dish was composed of beef chunks stewed with plantains. Judah's version also included the optional potatoes, sweet potatoes, chickpeas, and cabbage. On the side he'd added an addition all his own of rice, making the dish more like a curry in appearance.

"It's not usually served with rice, but I found my kids would eat more of it if I let them mix in white rice."

Kyle looked hesitant as she poked at the mixture with a spoon. Finally she dipped the utensil in before bringing a small portion up to her lips. Letting the flavors roll around in her mouth, Judah waited with baited breath for her to voice her opinion. She didn't, but instead took another bite and continued to eat till the dish was half way finished, then she put her spoon down. That was praise enough.

Judah smiled as he took the tray of food, along with the cut up food from earlier, "Thank you, Mrs. Janaskie, for letting me serve you these last two weeks. I hope you have a safe trip."

She nodded before picking up the book beside her and lifted it to her eyes.

He felt like he should say something more but couldn't come up with the words. There was so much he could say, so much he shouldn't say, in the end he bowed his head then left.

At the end of the day Judah turned back as he stood on the dock. He could just make out Mrs. Janaskie sitting on the deck of the ship reading a book, with the large umbrella protecting her from the sun. He wished that he could be that umbrella, not just protecting her from the sun but all the cares of life. But it was not to be. His job was done and this was the last time he'd ever see Mrs. Janaskie.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

The night before Kyle's meet up with her parents came on like a storm.

Lightning flashed and the ship rocked restlessly in the waves, as if it was also dreading the move to the next port where the parents would be waiting.

"You don't actually expect us to meet you _there_ of all places? Why did you have to dock at such a Podunk location? Was the dock at the garbage dock busy?"

Mr. Derringer was like a log in the bed, unaffected by the raging outside the room, let alone the raging in Kyle's heart. She tossed and turned so much she could not tell where her movements began and the ship's ended. It was like they were moving together as one being. She went left the ship moved with her. She moved right, the ship swayed as well. They were in sync, unlike her and the man lying beside her.

She could never tell anyone why she'd accepted his proposal. Maybe it was because she believed it was the only one she'd receive. That was what her parents had emphasized when they'd heard of it. At first she'd told him to wait for her answer. But then her parents had become involved and then it was only a day later before she was sitting in her parent's living room going over wedding preparations.

Everything after that rushed past like a musical homage in a movie, as she was fitted for a suit, she refused to wear a dress. Her mother took over most everything else, picking out the flowers, the music, and who would march with her down the aisle. Kyle couldn't care less about any of that. She had not even cared if the groom changed half way through the ceremony. But he didn't.

Then the wedding day came and went, all it going by like a dazed dream, and before she knew it they were on their honeymoon. The wedding night.

Kyle approached most things with a calm and collected manner, but she would admit she had been nervous that night. Mr. Derringer must have been as well, as he'd started the party early at the wedding reception, continuing the buzz on the plane to their vacation spot. Then in the room he popped the complimentary champagne and drained the bottle. Kyle only got one glass. It wasn't long after that he passed out. In the morning he awoke, grinning suggestively when he saw her lying next to him in their bed.

"Was it good for you?"

She didn't know what else to say, so told him the first thing that came to mind, "It was the best night of my life."

He let out a satisfied snort before falling back to sleep.

That had been two years ago, and though they had shared a bed most every night since, when he wasn't off on a business trip, she always managed to come up with an excuse to keep anything from happening.

"I have a headache."

"It's my time of month."

"Didn't you have that call you had to make to Japan?"

She had to think that he wasn't that keen on doing anything with her either or he wouldn't have accepted the excuses. She also had to think that someone like him had to be getting his fix on the side. But what did she care? It had been more a marriage of convenience than anything. It ensured she was forever out of her parents' home and when they were complimenting her husband they weren't exactly bashing her. At least that was a plus. Something else to draw their attention away from her.

Still, she would have liked to have had a relationship like Judah's, even if it had been short lived. Married only a year before they'd adopted their children. Then another year of family bliss before she'd grown sick and passed away within months. But though that had been two years ago he still spoke of her like she'd been the greatest thing to happen to him. If someone could feel that about her for even a moment, Kyle believed she could die happy. As it was now, she felt she'd never die, just go on living in an eternal state of misery.

It was thoughts like this that combined with the worry over her parent's visit. Finally deciding that she wasn't going to get any sleep, she rose from bed and headed outside. While most night's she started out in bed with Mr. Derringer, before the end, he was either back in his office, or she was out on the deck of the ship, lying out on her reading spot.

Even though it was storming she wondered if she couldn't manage to get a bit of fresh air before heading back to the suffocating bedroom.

The ship was balking like an angry horse as she headed out onto the deck. The surface was slick under her feet as the water rushed beneath her feet like a moving sidewalk at the airport. The rain was pelting her like sharp words dropped from her mother's lips. Just when she was considering heading back lightning flashed, startling her, as she slipped falling hard against the railing.

As she groaned at the pain in her ribs she heard voices above her. Voices which called out to one another. Then she felt the ship lurch again, but in a manner different than how the storm had been moving it. That was when she heard the ship's engine and realized they were moving. She tried to turn back, but the slip deck was not giving her any traction as she again felt her bare feet slip on the deck. That was when she experienced something she'd never felt before, the sensation of having her feet fly over the top of her head. Then she felt a sharp pain in her scalp as her head snapped back against the side of the ship. The last thing she felt before fading into blackness was the sharp cold of the water's blow.

As her mind faded away all she could think about was the young chef with the kind smile. If only she could see him one last time.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

"What are you going to do to thank me?"

That was what Judah heard from his friend when he opened his front door.

Judah invited his friend Titus in, watching him take a seat on the couch as he headed back to the kitchen to get them something to drink.

"Well, how was it?" asked Titus as Judah came back in, handing him a drink before sitting down.

"It was…different." He didn't know how else to describe it, but could tell from his friend's frown that he didn't like the answer.

"That's all? Did you make any good connections you could use to secure a better job?"

"They never had anyone over. Mr. Derringer always went out for business deals and Mrs. Janaskie never had anyone over."

Titus threw back his soda before letting out a satisfied "aah." "What was with the two different name thing?"

Judah shrugged, he had yet to figure it out himself before the end, "It never came up."

"Weird. I don't know what I'd have done if Isabel hadn't wanted to take my name. What about you?"

"I don't know. I guess I would have been fine with it. I was just happy to be with Rachel, nothing else mattered."

"I guess that's why you agreed to adopt three kids after only being married a year."

Judah could hear the judgement in his friend's voice but ignored it. No one really understood why two people so young would want to tie down their lives so soon into their marriage. But that was what had made them happy. Even though it hadn't been easy, things worth having didn't come without some work.

Titus was done with the conversation as he turned on the TV. Flipping through the channels, searching for a sports game, Judah called for him to go back.

"What?"

"I thought I saw something."

Titus flipped back till Judah again called for him to stop. The channel was displaying a news report about a recent body found. Judah felt sick when he recognized the image of Mrs. Janaskie. Another life taken so soon.

"Isn't that your boss?"

Judah nodded, as his stomach churned with the sick feeling of loss.

"You should go in to report who she is."

Judah nodded slowly, not really listening.

"Hey, do you think she'll give you some kind of reward?"

Judah's eyes squinted as he stared at his friend, "What?"

Titus pointed to the TV, "Since she doesn't know who she is, do you think her husband will give you a reward if you're the one to bring her back?"

Judah looked back at the TV as he read the news crawl and realized it wasn't reporting her death but that she'd been found, "with no memory; wearing a pair of men's satin pajamas."

Judah was up before he fully knew what he was doing.

"Where are you going?!" called Titus as Judah shut the front door behind him.

Then reality hit him and he came back, "Can you pick up the kids from school?" then he was out the door again as he started up his truck and rushed off.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

They kept calling her Jane. Something about the name didn't sound right. Then there was the fact they kept calling her ma'am. That annoyed her for some unknown reason. But she didn't correct them, they were just trying to help her. Still, her head ached, and every time they asked her if she remembered something she felt like snapping, "no, I haven't remembered anything since the last time you asked me five seconds ago."

Then they'd taken her clothes for evidence and put her in some pink scrubs. The color agitated her almost as much as the fact that she couldn't recall who she was or why she'd been found in the ocean. If not for a ship of early morning fishermen she might have drowned. They had been the ones to spot her white satin pajamas floating in the bay. She wanted to thank them, but the way they'd leered at her made all thanks leave her body like water through a sieve.

She wanted to scream at them, at anyone, for the injustice she felt. The police man kept referring to her as sweetie, yes, she didn't have a name, but couldn't he have come up with something more original? And then the female nurses kept giving her judgmental glances for her choice in undergarments.

What was wrong with a woman wearing men's boxers? As far as she could tell they were a lot more comfortable than the women's underwear the hospital had lent her. She'd almost rather go camo than wear them, but then she recalled the looks from the fisherman and decided against it.

She heard some of the nurses whispering about why they thought she'd been found with men's pajamas and underwear on, "It had been all she could find to put on when the man's wife came home. That's also why she was found in the water, they'd been having the affair on his yacht when the wife caught them. I feel bad for the wife that she didn't succeed in drowning the tramp."

She didn't feel like a tramp, but then one never knew when they couldn't remember all their life's choices. Still, something didn't feel right. She'd wanted to say the pajamas were hers, but didn't know why. Why would a woman with such a nice figure, as most of the men kept telling her with their eyes, wear something so unfeminine? Didn't they usually wear negligees to bed, or nothing at all? Whatever the case, she was glad she wasn't the type to wear nothing. That would have really annoyed her.

Still, white satin was not the best thing to wear if one was going to take a swim.

"Jane Doe, you have a visitor."

The statement confused her at first, as she stared at the officer as if he'd actually said out loud that she had a nice caboose. Still, she followed him as he led her back to the visiting area. There was a nice young man waiting there, something about the way he agitatedly wrung his hands while looking off to the side made her wish that he was the one there to see her. Then he turned and the way his eyes lit up on seeing her made her heart come to a sudden stop.

"Mrs. Janaskie, it's really you," relief filled his voice as he added, "I'm so glad you're alright."

She wanted to cry at the gentleness in his voice, at the concern, but she remained still as the young man asked the officer questions.

"Does she really not remember anything?"

"No, not a thing. Shame really."

The young man looked at her again, his eyebrows scrunched in the middle in a worried look. One of the eyebrows was ruffled and she found her hand moving forward to brush it back. She stopped herself and returned the hand to the pocket of her scrubs.

"What is your relationship to her?" inquired the officer.

The young man licked his lips, which looked thinner as he pressed them together in a kind of nervous action, "Well, she is my, uh…you see we…" he kept looking at her, as if waiting for her to tell him what to do. She did not know what he wanted from her, but she wished she could give it to him. "Do you really not remember me?"

He looked pained as he said it and again she felt her heart react to the puppy dog look in his eyes. In his looking back and forth between the officer and her his hair had fallen down onto his forehead. This time she couldn't stop herself as she reached up, brushing back the hair behind his ears. It was so soft, like puppy's fur.

"I'm sorry."

His smile was gentle. Again she wanted to cry. Was she usually this emotional? Or was it just the stress of the situation?

"She's my wife," the answer was said with such confidence, after the uncertainty, that both she and the officer stared at him for a moment, as if they couldn't believe what they'd heard. And it was hard to believe, wasn't it?

"I'm sorry, what?" stated the officer.

"She's my wife."

"Do you have any proof? Like a license or photo ID?"

Again the young man licked his lips, as if thinking over his answer, "We recently experienced a fire, most everything was destroyed."

"Then do you have any other means of proof?"

"She uh…" he bit his lower lip as he looked to her again. Something about the action made her heart quiver. Though her mind didn't know him, her heart seemed to have some opinion about him. It seemed to have an especially strong opinion about his lips.

His eyes brightened as something came to him, "She has two moles here," he pointed to the spot on his neck, "And she's allergic to shellfish."

The officer frowned as he looked to her. She could only confirm one of the two, as she had yet to eat any clams. Right now the spot was covered with a turtleneck she'd put on underneath the scrubs, she pulled down the collar to expose the area. There were the moles, looking just like a set of vampire bites, like he'd described.

The officer's frown deepened as he asked to have a word with her for a moment.

"Do you remember him at all?"

The question did not annoy her that time as she looked back at the man. He was agitatedly rocking back and forth on the heels of his feet. Something about it did seem familiar. As did the look in his eyes as he gaze across the visitor's room. A look like he was viewing the most beautiful thing in the world.

Before she could think about it she'd answered yes and the officer was motioning for the young man to follow him back to another room where he had him fill out paperwork, "We'll follow up with you in a day. See if you can't find any actual proof before then."

Then she was in his car as he drove them back to his house. No, their house. They were supposed to be married, right?

His hands were gripping the steering wheel tightly, as he snuck glances at her. Something about it pleased her as she acted like she didn't notice.

Finally she turned to look at him as she asked, "What is your name?"

"Oh, right," he looked stunned, as if it had completely skipped his mind, "I'm Judah. Judah Paloyo."

"I thought you called me Mrs. Janaskie."

"I did. You uh, you kept your maiden name."

Her eyebrows creased, "Why?"

He shrugged. He looked like such a little kid when he did it. Yet there was something about him that was so manly. The kind of manly strength that told her she could trust him with her entire being.

"And what is my name?"

"Kyle," the way he said it was like someone saying the name of something precious.

In that moment she wanted to reach across the bed of the truck and pull him to her. But as far as her mind was concerned they'd just met. Still, her heart let out a frustrated sigh as if she'd let it down.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Judah had never thought much about his home before that moment as he drove Mrs. Janaskie back. But as they drove up the gravel driveway to the old home he started to realize how it must look to her.

It hadn't been painted in years and different layers of paint where showing through on every part of the home. Several of the windows were boarded over as he'd not had time to replace them after they'd been broken. The front door had two double doors, but they didn't match, one had come from a room inside the house and that door had not been replaced. To put it simply, his house was a mess.

And it wasn't the house only that was bedraggled. The yard was filled with all kinds of broken things, from toys to old kitchen stoves and furniture. The inside was no better.

"Sorry things are such a mess."

He knew the apology wouldn't fix anything but still felt like he should offer it. Even without her memory, she still knew how to remain unreadable, as she gave the whole of it a cursory look before allowing him to lead her to the front steps. They creaked, threatening to cave in, as they bore them up to the front door.

"Again, I'm sorry. We haven't had time to clean up."

He opened the door, wincing at the thought of her reaction. Instead of commenting on how messy things were she stepped inside and asked, "Where's my room?" She motioned to her scrubs, "I want to change."

He nodded, hurrying ahead of her before guiding her back to the bedroom. She gave it another quick perusal before heading over to the dresser. She opened the first drawer, then the second, then the third, then she looked back at him.

"Where are my clothes?"

The question came so unexpectedly he didn't know what else to say and so blurted, "We share clothes."

This was the thing that got him a reaction as she blinked slowly, as if having trouble processing it, then she stared.

He gulped.

"You, uh, you've never cared for women's clothing," why was he trying to salvage this of all lies? He should have just said it was a joke and said her clothes were all lost in the fire. Yes. Why hadn't he gone with that lie? He was such an idiot. Still, now that he was charging forward with this he needed to play it through. After all, with the Mrs. Janaskie he had known before, the logic fit. "Plus, we've never had that much money, so we just wear each other's clothes. You said it was cute when couples exchange clothes and you wanted to do it all the time."

He opened up the closet where his shirts were stored. He picked out something, then headed over to the dresser where he grabbed a pair of pants and some boxers. His mouth was dry as he held out the clothes to her, waiting for her reaction. This was where it could all come apart.

Why had he followed this story through?

Her eyes came down from his face to the clothes, then as if waiting for his heart to reach its peak of panic, she finally took them.

After that she stared at him again.

Her eyebrow arched as she coolly asked, "Are you going to stay to watch?"

He felt his face heat as his shoulders rose with tensed energy, "Oh, right." he spun around as he hurried out of the room.

A few moments later she came out. She really did look good in his clothes. The pants were short, but they fit on her waist and the shirt looked better on her. The sleeves were long, but didn't quite reach her wrists. To hide this she rolled them up further, an sight which made his heart skip a beat.

In the pink scrubs she hadn't looked right, like a dog in a costume, but in his clothes she looked relaxed, like she belonged. He wasn't sure if it was the clothes or if it was because they were his.

His heart fluttered at the second idea.

"I noticed a photo in the bedroom. Do we have kids?"

His face reddened at the thought, but he quickly recovered, "They're adopted. We adopted them two years ago. Their names are Arin, Olivia and Stacie." He grabbed a photo from the living room so she could match the names to the faces. "Arin's the big man on campus, he likes to keep the other two in line. Olivia is the baby, but she's daddy's big helper girl. And Stacie is the most concerned about appearances. Especially when it comes to clothing."

"How does she feel about her mother wearing men's clothing?"

Judah pressed his lips together as he considered the question, "Uh, she, she thinks it's weird. But also sweet?" He knew he should sound more sure, but he'd done all this on a whim. He hadn't even had a chance to tell the kids about it.

"The kids!"

Kyle looked startled by the exclamation as he just then remembered that they should be home any moment. This could be the moment when everything fell apart when they came inside and saw a strange woman.

"I have to pick them up. You wait here, I'll uh, I'll be right back."

He knew he was panicking but what did he expect when he was playing with fire. He was an idiot if he'd ever thought this would work.

Just as he rushed out the door Titus drove up in his truck with the kids bouncing around in the seat beside him. He'd only gotten half way down the drive when Judah rushed up to the vehicle.

"Is everything okay, buddy?" asked Titus, noting his friend's flushed expression and the way he couldn't seem to catch his breath, though he hadn't run that far.

Judah cast one look back at the house before looking back at his friend with wide eyes, "I did something bad. Really bad."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Kyle thought she would have remembered something about their house. Shouldn't there have been some feeling of nostalgia, at least at the sights and smells. And there were plenty of both. Bubble gum covered the underside of most of the furniture. There were various artistic endeavors on the walls. And there was something sticky on the couch. When she tried to flip the cushion over she found the thing on the other side looked worse. She put it back the way it had been.

Still, Judah looked like an honest guy. There was a sincerity to him that made her want to make this work, in spite of the fact she couldn't remember him or their three kids. They also looked nice enough, although the one called Arin looked like he could be a handful. Still, if she was their mother she must have some instincts to know how to deal with them.

Not knowing how long Judah would be gone to pick up the kids she resolved to get some things picked up. Judah had said they'd been busy, with what she did not know, but she had free time now so she got to work.

The first order of business should be…she looked around the room again. There was just so much to start with.

Then a thought came to her, the kids were coming home from school. They'd probably be hungry. The first place to get working should be the kitchen.

The sink was filled with pots and pans. The counter was filled with crumbs and various other food products, along with plates and cups caked on with dried…food?

Then there was the smell. She covered her nose and mouth. The trash was overflowing so that some of its contents had fallen onto the floor.

What was the reason that things had become like this? Had they all been gone on vacation and decided to let it get a mess so when they came back they could appreciate the time they had been gone?

Was that a thing?

She shook her head before squaring her shoulders. This was her home, she was going to make it presentable.

Under the sink she found a pair of crusty old dish gloves. There was something sticky on the inside so she added the gloves to the pile of garbage around the trashcan and decided to go gloveless.

There wasn't much counter space so she put the pots on the ground before filling the sink with soap and water. Just when the water was high enough, maybe a little too high, wasn't there a thing called water displacement, she heard the front door open.

"Mommy!"

Kyle only had time to turn towards the sound before she was almost knocked over by a force running into her legs. When she looked down she saw the face of the littlest girl in the photo beaming up at her.

"I missed you so much," stated the girl, before burying her face in the gap in Kyle's legs.

"Missed me? How long was I gone?"

"Not long enough," came a mumble from around the corner. The one called Arin came into view with a scowl on his face.

Was it a permanent look?

He was as stormy a personality in person as he'd appeared in the photo.

"What are you wearing?" inquired Stacie as she came into the room next. She gave Kyle's outfit a critical once over before turning her head to call into the other room, "Did you dress her?"

Judah was wearing a bashful smile as he came into the kitchen. On seeing the pots on the floor and the water in the sink he told her, "You don't have to do that."

"Why not? Do I not help out around the house?"

"No. I mean, you uh…" he paused as if losing track of what he was going to say.

"How long have I been gone, Judah?"

This question really threw him as he looked to each of the children before turning his gaze back to her, "You've been gone…a day?"

"Then why does Olivia act like I've been gone longer?"

"She exaggerates," offered Stacie, "She's a little girl. That's what they do."

Kyle looked down at Olivia who smiled up at her. She couldn't help but give her a small smile, before she turned a frown on Judah.

"The truth, Judah."

He looked like he was bearing a great burden as he let out a long breath of air.

"I don't recognize any of this. Is this really our home? Is this really how we live?" Kyle motioned to the whole of the house.

His eyes brightened as he looked to remember something, "Oh, that's right. The fire. Remember I told the officer I'd lost your ID in a fire?"

She nodded.

"It completely destroyed our home. That's why you don't recognize this place, we haven't lived here long. And the reason it's a mess…" he again stopped as he looked around the room as if searching for something, "Is because…you've been sick."

At this Olivia started to cry as she gripped Kyle's legs tightly, "No, Mommy, don't get sick. Don't leave me again."

Kyle felt her heart ache at the child's pitiable cries. She patted her small head as she assured her, "I'm not going anywhere."

"After the fire, the stress of the move and getting situated caught up with you and you've been in bed for several weeks."

Looking at the mess again, Kyle had trouble believing this was only a few weeks of mess. Still, she had no recollection of how messy children could be. Maybe this was mild compared to how things usually were.

"And the accident? How did I end up in the bay?"

Judah put his hands on his hips as he rocked back and forth for a moment. Was he usually this slow to answer? Or was the stress of the fire also getting to him?

"You had finally gotten better," was his slow response, "and the thought of all the work you'd have to catch up on kept you up the previous night. You went out for a drive, you like to go to the bay and walk around. I don't know what happened after that, I have to think it had something to do with the storm. I heard it got pretty rough last night. But I'm glad that you are back and no worse for the experience. Other than the memory thing."

"Yay, mommy's back!"

Arin didn't look as pleased by the news as Olivia, who continued to squeeze Kyle's legs until she thought they'd go numb.

Seeing how tightly the little girl was holding her, Judah finally pried the girl off, as he told the kids, "Your mom has had a rough night, let's let her get some rest. Go on and sit in the living room, Mrs. Janaskie. I'll take over in here."

"Mrs. Who?" came Stacie's quick response, "Who is that?"

Judah had a deer stuck in headlights look as he stared straight ahead.

"That's me," answered Kyle, "Are you more used to hearing me called mom?"

"Uh, yeah, that's it," stated Stacie, "Well, I'm off to do my homework. Rest up new mom, I mean, rest up mom. It's a new day." She put on a bright smile before grabbing Olivia, who waved excitedly at Kyle, before being dragged out of the room.

Arin gave Kyle one more icy look before her headed out after them.

Left alone, Judah made a nervous attempt at laughter, "They're a bunch of characters, huh?"

Instead of answering, Kyle bent down, as she started to fill the sink with pots.

Judah was quick as he moved to stop her.

"You don't have to do that. Really."

She pulled her hand out of his grip before setting him with one of her stares, "I feel fine. And if I'm ever going to get my memory back I need to get back to my daily routine."

He continued to look reluctant, but did not object as she filled the sink with three pots before she started to scrub them. It was only a moment before he voiced another objection.

"Wait, where are the gloves?"

"I threw them away."

He looked back to the trashcan, seeing the overflowing bin as if for the first time, "Oh. I better take this out. It's trash day tomorrow."

"Really?"

He nodded slowly, as if confused by her sudden interest.

"Then, if you don't have work today, could you move as much of that stuff on the front lawn out to the curb as possible. The kids should have a safe place to play outdoors. Right now it's a tetanus minefield."

He stared at her as a gentle smile came to his face, "I'd be happy to do that. Anything for our kids."

She nodded before turning back to her work in the sink.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

"What were you thinking?"

Titus's question sounded as if it had come from his own mind. But Judah did not have an answer for either of them.

After dropping off the kids, Judah's friend had stuck around to see if his plan would work in claiming Kyle as his wife. When Judah had come out to start clearing the front lawn Titus had got to work helping him as he questioned Judah's sanity.

"You know this isn't going to work forever. Eventually she's going to remember."

"I know that." Judah let out a loud grunt as Titus and him set down an old rusty washer onto the curb. They paused to catch their breath as he said, "But you didn't see the look on her face the night she told me about her parent's visit. It was like she was begging me to take her away."

"And you thought taking her here was something she'd want?" Titus motioned to Judah's home, if one could call it that.

"Hey, Rachel was happy with us, even though we didn't have much. And I guess I thought…if she could be happy with the simple love of me and the kids, maybe Kyle could find that same joy, if but for a short time."

Titus shook his head as he rested his hands on his hips, "You really did lose it after Rachel's death. Even before then, when you agreed to adopt those kids," he held up his hand as he saw his friend's objection coming, "but I know you love those kids and they were hurt a lot when they lost their mother. And for a time they might like having her around as a substitute. But think about this, Judah, who is going to be hurt the most when it ends? Do you really want to do that to them? Losing one mother was bad enough."

Judah felt his heart ache at the memory of his children's tears. Of the long nights of crying till the early hours of the morning. It hadn't been a fire that had caused them to move, but the pain at seeing all the memories within their old home. He had hoped for a new start in a new home, but instead they had just ended up in a rut. They had stood still, making a mess of things in their lives, and now he was doing it in another's life.

When Kyle found out he had lied to her…he didn't want to think about that, but he knew he'd have to, eventually.

"Plus," continued Titus, "This could be over tomorrow when the police come to double check your story."

Judah felt sick when he remembered how quickly this could all fall apart. "Titus, you have to help me."

"What? You want me to aid and abed in kidnapping? Because you know that's what this is."

"But…she was in a loveless marriage with critical parents. This could be her only time to experience a good life."

Titus snorted as he again cast a glance at the dilapidated home.

Judah grabbed his friend's shirt as he made him look at him, "If you do this for me, I'll go into business with you."

Titus' eyes widened at the words, "You're serious? You'll finally be my cook at Titus' bar and grill."

He nodded, "Yes. And I'll even pitch in my half of the money to buy out your cousin's old place."

Titus started to bob with excitement as he laughed, "Oh you are not going to regret this, Judah. This is going to be it. The big money maker. You, the genius chef, me, the brains. We're going to be raking in the dough. Then you can finally move your family into a descent home."

Judah nodded as his friend started to go over all the things they could do once the dream succeeded. Instead of thinking of the past, Judah's heart and mind were drawn to the present, as his eyes wandered to the house. The home, where just inside, the woman with the sad eyes was washing dishes. He was risking a lot to bring light to those eyes, but if he succeeded, it would be worth it.

At least, he hoped it would.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

The next morning the officer arrived as promised. When Olivia saw the uniform she started to cry.

"Don't take our mommy from us, we just got her back!"

This disconcerted the man, as he tried to assure her nothing of the sort was going to happen, "I just want to make sure that she really is your mother."

"But she is, can't you tell?" inquired the girl, as she stepped up to Kyle's side, "I look so much like her."

"You're adopted, dummy," snapped Arin.

This made the little girl resume crying as Kyle gave the young boy a pointed look, "Don't call your sister a dummy."

"Don't tell me what to do, you're not my mom." Stacie gave him an elbow to the side, "Ouch, I mean, we're all adopted. So really, you're not any of our mothers."

"Don't be cruel," ordered Stacie.

The officer tried to regain control of the situation as he looked to Judah, "Officer Clark said we were going to be wanting proof of your marriage. Can you present any?"

Judah looked ecstatic to do so as he presented their wedding photos, "Sorry for the poor quality, but like I told Officer Clark, most of our stuff got burned in the fire. I was just lucky enough to find these."

The photos weren't in the best condition, but the body did resembles Kyle, and if you just squinted, the blurred face could pass for her. Judah presented a driver's license that was also burned, melted at the photo and identification number, but had Kyle's name and date of birth.

"I know this isn't enough," stated Judah, "That's why I had the kids stay behind from school so they could confirm this is their mother."

Olivia tried again as she held up a picture she had drawn of the family, "See, this is her," she pointed back to Kyle, "Doesn't it look just like her. Everyone at school says it does."

Judah thanked his daughter for the enthusiasm before adding, "And my friends are coming over to say the same thing. We've known them for years."

As if on que, there was a knock at the door. Titus, the man who had helped Judah clean up the previous day came in, along with a red haired, freckled women. Like with everyone, Kyle did not recognize them. Still, if Judah said she knew them, she could not think of why he would lie. What would he possibly gain?

The officer asked a few questions, which everyone answered with certainty, as if they had been rehearsing them for several hours or knew the answers by heart.

At the end the cop looked satisfied as he told them to have a good day.

"Yay! We won!" called Olivia as she started to bounce around. Stacie tried to quiet her while casting glances at Kyle.

Judah laughed nervously as he started to push the kids to the door, "You've already missed your first class, let's get you to school before you miss more."

"I'll take them," offered Isabel.

Judah thanked her with his eyes. Once they were gone Titus threw his arm over Judah, "Well, we better be going too. Judah and I have to go check out our new place of business."

Kyle's eyebrow arched, "What do you do again, Judah?"

Titus pulled his friend into a headlock before he could answer, "This guy is the greatest cook in the world. We're going into business together. I run the store, he cooks the food."

"And did I know about this?"

"It's kind of a new thing," stated Judah shakily, "We uh, we hadn't had a chance to talk about it while you were sick."

Kyle looked displeased as she folded her arms, "And do you usually plan things without discussing them with me?"

Both men swallowed at her intense look.

"I haven't been able to get work anywhere permanently. And you know it's been my dream to cook in a restaurant. All I've been able to get is jobs at dives, or greasy spoons."

"And that yacht," offered Titus. Judah elbowed him in the side. "oof."

Kyle stood her ground, "We should have discussed this. What all does this business venture entail? Restaurants aren't easy to run. You need proper business experience to know how to finance it. There is the food to be bought, the employees to be hired and paid, and somehow you need to get customers. Are you really ready to handle all that?"

"But Judah said he'd do it," stated Titus.

A look from Kyle shut him right up.

Her gaze turned back to Judah who yelped at its intensity.

"I know it's your dream to cook, Judah. But we have three kids to take care of. And I don't think this environment is ideal for them. We should be focused on providing them a safe place to sleep at night," she recalled the children's threadbare clothes, "clothes that actually fit them and keep them warm would be good too. I don't want to crush your dreams, but right now I think we should be focused on what will make us money. If you can find a cooking job that can fulfill both needs then that will be fine."

Judah look chagrined but nodded in agreement with her words, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been so selfish. I'll go out and see if I can't find something."

He really did look like a scolded puppy as he headed out of the room. Titus looked stunned at what he was hearing as he looked back and forth between Kyle and Judah before hurrying after his friend.

"Judah, wait! You promised."

With both men gone Kyle turned her attention back to the task at hand. Her home.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

Titus wasn't happy with his choice, but he'd finally agreed that they could put the joint business on hold. Right now, taking care of his kids was more important. But there was still the problem of finding a decent job. Judah really wanted to cook, but after half a day of searching he realized this was going to have to also put that on hold. He'd already spent two years between jobs and his kids had waited long enough to have consistency from their father. It was time he was what they needed most: a bread winner, not a dreamer.

When he came home the house looked like another place. He almost thought he'd come home to the wrong place when he opened the front door. Everything was clean and when he sat down on the sofa the permanently sticky spot was finally gone.

From the kitchen he heard laughter and went in to find Kyle sitting at the table. Stacie was standing on a box behind her doing the woman's hair as Olivia acted as assistant, handing her various clips and ribbons for Kyle's hair.

"She's not a Barbie," grumbled Arin from his seat at the table, where he did his homework.

"Daddy seemed to think so when he dressed her like this," replied Stacie as she made a face. "But I guess it is kind of sweet that they share clothes." She let out a romantic's sigh.

Olivia was the first to notice Judah as she dropped her clips and ran full force at him, "Daddy!" He caught her, swinging her around before setting her down again.

"And how is my little princess?"

"Daddy, look what we did to Mommy. Doesn't she look prettyful?"

Judah couldn't help but smile at the look on Kyle's face as she endured the torture. She looked so serene it almost made him wonder if her mess of hair didn't look stunning.

"Your mom looks amazing whatever she wears."

Stacie snorted at this, "Well, I tried. But those clothes really don't help."

Jumping down from the box, Stacie sat down at the table where she started to draw out some dress designs.

Olivia pulled on his hand, returning his attention to her, as she asked, "Daddy, what are you going to make today?"

His eyes lifted as he thought over the answer.

"Judah, you've had a long day, let me cook."

His smile appeared as he shook his head, "No, I feel fine. Plus, you've been on your feet cleaning all day. Let me make the meal."

"Then I'll help you." Her mouth was set in that resolute expression he'd seen on occasion on the yacht. From the few times he'd seen it appear he knew not to argue with it.

While Olivia bounced around, Judah gathered the ingredients from the fridge. Giving some to Kyle, he had her cut them while he got to work on cooking the meat. Once he'd spiced it he looked over at Kyle. She looked to be struggling with the potatoes.

"Here, let me show you."

Stepping up behind her, he slid his arms along hers as he gripped the potato and knife along with her. As soon as his skin came into contact with hers he felt like an electricity run up his spine.

He had felt this the last time they'd been like that but he'd ignored it then. It was a little harder to ignore it this time. Her smell was even more intense than before, having been heightened from her work around the house. Then her skin had been somewhat greasy from the sunscreen but now it was soft and smooth. He almost forgot why he was touching her when he felt the cold metal of the knife and was brought back to the task at hand.

"Hold he potato like this," he demonstrated the move as she mimicked it.

With her other hand he began to guide the knife with her, slicing through the root vegetable. Though he spoke the instructions he wasn't really listening to himself as all he could hear was his heart pounding in his chest. He hadn't felt this rush in years, not since Rachel had passed.

He had almost forgotten what it felt like, this intense rush of emotions. But it wasn't all about the physical touch, it was also the intimacy. The joining of two souls in a common goal. Rachel and him had made so many memories in the kitchen cooking with each other, not just for each other, but their kids. And that's what him and Kyle were doing now.

He pulled away as soon as he'd finished the lesson. Because this wasn't like with Rachel.

Kyle wasn't really his and he wasn't really hers. And the kids didn't have a mother, they had lost theirs years ago and nothing and no one would ever replace her. What was he thinking feeling things like this? He had said he just wanted to provide her with happy memories, but was there really some selfishness to it? A desire to have her near again.

Sure he had been disappointed when he'd left that final day. But he'd also known that they were just ships passing in the night. Nothing could ever come from their meeting. She was married and he had a family. Still, he wasn't going to lie and say he hadn't thought about it. The way her lips might have felt against his. The feeling his heart might make as he interlaced his fingers with hers. No, he wasn't going to think about that. Those sensations were not his to experience. She had a husband.

Judah groaned as he remembered the fact.

"What's wrong, daddy?" asked Olivia.

Kyle also turned to look back at him with a curious expression.

Judah had forgotten about Mr. Derringer. Even if their marriage didn't seem happy he was still her husband. Judah remembered how he'd felt when he'd lost Rachel. And here he was keeping the good news that Kyle was fine from her husband.

He was a monster.

"I just remembered I forgot the rice. We don't have any in the house."

"Then go buy some," offered Olivia sweetly.

"I just chop of the rest of this and add it to the meat, right?" he nodded at Kyle's question, "Then go buy the rice. I'll finish this up."

Judah knew what he had to do. Didn't mean he wanted to.

Titus looked confused when he opened the door to Judah.

"What brings you here? Change your mind about the business deal?"

"Do you have rice?"

This really confused his friend as he replied unsurely, "Yes. Why?"

"I need to use your phone."

This really got his friend scratching his head, "What's going on?"

"Do you have Derringer's number?"

"Yeah. Why?" then it hit him, "Did something happen with the wife? Did she remember?"

"No."

"Then why do you need his number?"

"I have to let him know she's okay."

Titus grabbed his shoulders, turning him towards him, "You're not thinking this through, man. If you tell the husband he's going to come looking for her. And when he finds out you've been telling his wife you're her husband he's going to send you to jail. And then think what will happen to your precious kids."

"I can't not tell him. He needs to know she's okay. I…" his voice broke, "If it were Rachel, I'd need to know."

Titus' hands slid from his shoulders as he let out a long sigh, "Alright. The numbers over here."

The phone rang for a good long time before someone finally picked up.

"Hello?!" came a female's reply, yelled over the sound of loud music in the background.

"Is Mr. Derringer there?"

"Who?"

"Mr…Cole?"

"Oh, Cole." The phone was covered as the female called, as if through a large crowd, "Coley, it's the phone for you."

A moment later a just as loud male voice called through the receiver, "What do you want? Can't you hear I'm having a party here?"

Judah was stunned to silence for a moment before the impatient grunt from Titus reminded him of his object, "Mr. Derringer I'm calling with news of your wife."

"My wife? Oh, right, my wife. Is this an update or something? I already know where she is."

"You do?"

"Yes. She's in a hospital back at my last port. Or was it the second to last port? Oh, what does it matter? I know exactly where she is I had my steward check on her. He said she looked fine, just had a little case of amnesia. I told her parents she was off at a spa, and isn't a hospital like a spa in a way? She's been complaining about being cooped up on the ship. I'm sure she'll appreciate the break," then under his breath but loud enough for Judah to hear Cole added, "I know I'll appreciate it."

Judah couldn't understand why Mr. Derringer was revealing so much to a stranger. Then he noticed the slight slur to the man's words. This guy was drunk as a skunk and couldn't care less about his lost wife.

Judah hadn't realized things were this bad.

"If you already know everything, I won't bother you any—."

The phone was hung up before he could finish.

"So?" asked Titus with eyebrows raised in interest.

"He already knows she's fine. And he doesn't care."

"That's good, right? He's not going to press charges."

"I guess."

Judah grabbed the bag of rice before heading out the door.

The whole drive back home he replayed all the interactions he could remember between the couple. There weren't very many, but even what he could recall didn't tell him things had been that bad.

Had Kyle known her husband had cared that little for her? Was this like a "when the cat's away" kind of thing, or had he always been like that? Was that why he had all his business deals off ship, so he could meet up with women afterwards?

And the bed, was it so big not to show the extent of their wealth, but the space between them?

"Oh, good, you're back. Can you check on it?" inquired Kyle when he came back into the kitchen.

Kyle's body tensed when he surprised her with a hug. Behind them Stacie and Olivia both gasped.

"What?" she sounded confused, scared, and like she was going to cry all at the same time.

He held her tighter.

"I'm sorry," He knew she didn't know where the apology was coming from, but on Cole's behalf he spoke the words he knew Cole wouldn't, "I haven't appreciated you like I should and I'm sorry. I just want you to know I don't deserve you but I want to try to."

It was like she'd never been hugged before, with the way her hands remained hovering at his sides, unsure of where to go. Then like she recalled something long forgotten she put her arms around him.

In a soft voice that only he could hear she whispered, "Thank you."

When they release she took the bag of rice, not questioning why it was half used. While she put it in a pan to boil Judah finish the meat and vegetables. When everything was done he served them together on a plate.

"Yay!" called Olivia when she saw the finished meal.

"What is this called?" asked Kyle as she unsurely stared at the food while the kids dug in around her.

"Puchero, it's the kids fav—." His words faded as she gazed intensely at the food.

He remembered he'd made this exact dish for her on the yacht.

"Does it usually have rice on the side?"

His mouth felt dry as he slowly answered, "No, that's just how the kids like it."

Her movements were slow, or maybe it was just the impending doom making things play in slow-motion. She dipped her spoon into the mixture then brought it up to her lips. He couldn't swallow, his mouth was like cotton, as she took a bite. One second. Two second. Three second.

Every moment seemed to go by at a snail's pace as he waited for the ball to drop.

Slowly she lifted her eyes from the plate and fixed him with one of her intense looks, "You really are a good cook. I wish I could remember all you've made."

Relief came so suddenly he almost laughed. Instead he covered it by saying, "It's probably for the best, not everything I've made has been good."

The kids nodded in agreement, not pulling their punches, as they start to list some of his failures.

"There was the time he put raisins into a Thai dish. It was like eating weirdly spiced peanut butter and jelly sandwich."

"Hey," called out Judah in protest, "That is actually a popular dish in some communities. You kids just don't appreciate finer foods."

"We also don't like pigs feet," stated Olivia as she stuck out her tongue at the memory.

"He didn't," questioned Kyle. The kids all nodded. She gave Judah a judgmental frown.

"It's a popular dish in the Philippine's. I was just trying to share my heritage with the kids."

"By poisoning us."

As the kids continued to voice all their complaints against him as a chef as Judah noticed something wonderful happening. Kyle was actually smiling, something he'd never seen once on the ship. She even reached up to cover a laugh at one moment, as Olivia acted out her reaction to one of Judah's dishes.

He didn't know how she'd react when she found out how her husband had reacted to her plight, but at least now, in this moment, she was happy being none the wiser. And for now that was enough for Judah. He'd deal with the repercussions later.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Kyle stepped out of the bathroom into the bedroom and immediately noticed the empty bed. Heading out into the living room she found Judah stretching out a sheet on the couch.

"Are you going to sleep out here again?"

He looked at her with wide eyes and a cute "oh" mouth, as if caught in the act of stealing cookies.

"Uh, yeah. I just thought, since you don't remember me, it would be awkward for us to sleep together."

Her arms slid easily into a folded position in front of her, as if used to the movement. Even the displeased frown felt natural as she gave him a pointed look.

"I told you I want to get right back into things so I can remember. And if sleeping in the same bed is a common thing I'd like if it we could do that."

She didn't know why his ears went red, or why his mouth twitched like a fish, but it did, as he finally sputtered out, "We didn't."

Her eyebrow arched.

"Remember, you were sick. You didn't want me to get sick too so I slept out here."

"And before that, did you sleep on the couch?"

His shoulders slumped as if in defeat, "No."

She turned away, signaling to him the argument was done. Behind her it sounded like he was dragging his feet as he followed her back to their room.

Once inside she turned back to find him stalled in the entrance of the room, his eyes fixed on the bed like scared bunny. His eyes darted back to her, looking to just then notice her.

"We're just going to sleep tonight, right?"

"Unless it was common practice to do other things, then yes, we'll just sleep."

His body tensed again but finally he moved towards the bed, moving cautiously, as if afraid she'd pounce on him at any moment. And for whatever reason, seeing him tense like that did make her want to jump him, like some kind of wild animal hungry to devour its prey. But no, for tonight she'd contain herself, after all he _was_ still a complete stranger. And she didn't think of herself as being that kind of woman.

Judah was as tense as a log when she got into bed, something which did feel familiar to her. His back was to her so he didn't see it as she reached towards him. She stopped just before touching him, bringing her hand back to her side. Letting out a heavy sigh she rolled over as she turned her back to him as well.

She didn't know what she'd expected when she'd invited him. The previous night she'd slept on her own and something about it had felt natural and yet she'd longed to have the man in the other room with her. Now that he was here he might as well have stayed in the living room with how distant he was.

Rolling over again, she finally touched his back, his muscles tensing under her palm at the contact.

"Judah, do we cuddle at night? Or are we always this distant?"

He turned his head, looking at her face for a moment, studying it, "No, we cuddle."

"Can we?"

She didn't know why her voice sounded like it ached with the question. Was there some soul hunger she didn't know about? Had things not been well between them before she'd lost her memory? Was that why Judah seemed so distant at times? Why he at times referred to her as Mrs. Janaskie, like an old employer and not his wife.

Lying there, she felt suddenly so alone, as she clutched her arms to herself. Her eyes burned and she closed to them to keep the tears from spilling forth the contents of her heart. A heart which contained nothing but secrets for her.

Just as her body began to quiver with sorrow she felt two strong arms wrap around her. Something about it felt foreign, but also like something she'd been waiting to feel for a long time. Opening her eyes she could see Judah's jawline as he held her close. She'd never realized how strong it looked until that moment.

Was that where the impression of man came from? And yet the way he held her was so tender, like the hold of a close friend. A touch so innocent and yet…she felt her heart ignite with the desire for it to be more.

But it was too soon. And right now, more than that, she just needed to be held. To be protected. She fell asleep feeling exactly that.Chapter Fifteen

Kyle stepped out of the bathroom into the bedroom and immediately noticed the empty bed. Heading out into the living room she found Judah stretching out a sheet on the couch.

"Are you going to sleep out here again?"

He looked at her with wide eyes and a cute "oh" mouth, as if caught in the act of stealing cookies.

"Uh, yeah. I just thought, since you don't remember me, it would be awkward for us to sleep together."

Her arms slid easily into a folded position in front of her, as if used to the movement. Even the displeased frown felt natural as she gave him a pointed look.

"I told you I want to get right back into things so I can remember. And if sleeping in the same bed is a common thing I'd like if it we could do that."

She didn't know why his ears went red, or why his mouth twitched like a fish, but it did, as he finally sputtered out, "We didn't."

Her eyebrow arched.

"Remember, you were sick. You didn't want me to get sick too so I slept out here."

"And before that, did you sleep on the couch?"

His shoulders slumped as if in defeat, "No."

She turned away, signaling to him the argument was done. Behind her it sounded like he was dragging his feet as he followed her back to their room.

Once inside she turned back to find him stalled in the entrance of the room, his eyes fixed on the bed like scared bunny. His eyes darted back to her, looking to just then notice her.

"We're just going to sleep tonight, right?"

"Unless it was common practice to do other things, then yes, we'll just sleep."

His body tensed again but finally he moved towards the bed, moving cautiously, as if afraid she'd pounce on him at any moment. And for whatever reason, seeing him tense like that did make her want to jump him, like some kind of wild animal hungry to devour its prey. But no, for tonight she'd contain herself, after all he _was_ still a complete stranger. And she didn't think of herself as being that kind of woman.

Judah was as tense as a log when she got into bed, something which did feel familiar to her. His back was to her so he didn't see it as she reached towards him. She stopped just before touching him, bringing her hand back to her side. Letting out a heavy sigh she rolled over as she turned her back to him as well.

She didn't know what she'd expected when she'd invited him. The previous night she'd slept on her own and something about it had felt natural and yet she'd longed to have the man in the other room with her. Now that he was here he might as well have stayed in the living room with how distant he was.

Rolling over again, she finally touched his back, his muscles tensing under her palm at the contact.

"Judah, do we cuddle at night? Or are we always this distant?"

He turned his head, looking at her face for a moment, studying it, "No, we cuddle."

"Can we?"

She didn't know why her voice sounded like it ached with the question. Was there some soul hunger she didn't know about? Had things not been well between them before she'd lost her memory? Was that why Judah seemed so distant at times? Why he at times referred to her as Mrs. Janaskie, like an old employer and not his wife.

Lying there, she felt suddenly so alone, as she clutched her arms to herself. Her eyes burned and she closed to them to keep the tears from spilling forth the contents of her heart. A heart which contained nothing but secrets for her.

Just as her body began to quiver with sorrow she felt two strong arms wrap around her. Something about it felt foreign, but also like something she'd been waiting to feel for a long time. Opening her eyes she could see Judah's jawline as he held her close. She'd never realized how strong it looked until that moment.

Was that where the impression of man came from? And yet the way he held her was so tender, like the hold of a close friend. A touch so innocent and yet…she felt her heart ignite with the desire for it to be more.

But it was too soon. And right now, more than that, she just needed to be held. To be protected. She fell asleep feeling exactly that.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

Judah took in a deep breath as he came to. Something was clutched to him, his pillow, but something about it felt different than usual. He let go of it as he kept his eyes closed while stretching out his muscles. Reaching up he stretched his neck, which was unusually tense after a night's sleep.

Turning, he dropped his legs over the side of the bed, as he tensed his back muscles while lifting his arms above his head. He didn't register it at first, as a hand other than his own began to slide up the skin of his back. He let out a contended sigh as it started to massage his muscles.

It wasn't until a groggy voice asked, "What do we usually do first thing in the morning?" that he realized something was wrong.

Jumping back from the hand he looked back to find Kyle lying under the covers of his bed. Their bed.

That was right, they'd slept together. And then in the night, the pillow he usually clutched, it was her. She'd asked to be held and he'd done it. And now it was the next morning and they'd woken up together and he was there standing shirtless watching her staring at him. Studying him.

His whole body lit up as he recalled he was shirtless. He hadn't gone to bed shirtless, but half asleep in the middle of the night he'd gotten hot holding her and so had removed it before going back to holding her. He quickly covered himself, which got him another rare smile from Kyle.

"Don't worry, you're wearing too few clothes for me to undress you with my eyes."

He words only disconcerted him more as his eyes darted around the room till he found his shirt. His hands fumbled as he quickly pulled it on, almost putting his head through the armhole at one point in his haste.

"Are you usually this nervous in the morning?" Kyle was stretched out on the bed, resting her chin on her hand as she watched him with an amused expression, "because if so, I think it's adorable."

The way she smiled made his heart flutter as he found himself staring at her for several moments. Then he broke away as he turned back to the closet.

"I have to get to work early for orientation. Isabel said she'd drop off the kids at school and Titus will pick them up after. If you want to go grocery shopping Isabel can take you."

She was still watching him as he turned back to make sure she was listening.

"You look like a bunny trapped in a tiger's cage. Calm down, I won't bite."

The way she bit her lip said otherwise as his heart almost exploded.

The world felt like it was spinning as he grabbed a hold of the closet's frame to steady himself. He put more weight on his resting hand than it was expecting and before he knew it he was falling over, just barely catching himself before he ran into the door.

Just catching himself, he stood there for a moment in a ridiculous looking crouch.

Kyle's eyes were wide when he looked back at her, "Are you okay?"

She was sitting up now, the collar of her night shirt fallen down over her shoulder, exposing her milky skin.

He swallowed.

Things were getting more complicated than he'd expected.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

Something clicked in Kyle's mind. Something about Judah leaning against the doorpost and then him losing it and almost falling over with his arms flailing. It was like déjà vu, but felt more solid, like a distant memory.

"Wait, this scene, this feels familiar."

She didn't know why but he looked even more panicked as she said this.

"Have we…the closet," she pointed to the small room. He looked back with her as she stared at the contents.

His gaze came quickly back, as did his answer, as he unabashedly proclaimed, "We made out in there."

"I'm sorry. What?"

"Uh, yeah," the ridiculousness of his answer only then seemed dawn on him, "The kids burst into our room a lot, so sometimes, when we want to be more intimate, we make out in the closet."

She frowned, "Is making out a euphemism for—."

The pink bunny returned as he window washed the air, "No, no, nothing like that. Just kissing."

Kyle was about to ask him to prove his words when Olivia burst into the room without knocking.

Maybe there was something to this hiding in the closet thing.

The little girl didn't even notice her father as she keyed in on Kyle completely, "Mommy, I'm going to be in a play this weekend."

"Really? Am I invited?"

"Of course. Just, just I need you…to make me…a costume."

Judah sounded flabbergasted as he slapped his forehead, "Oh, that's right. I'd completely forgot."

"My teacher needs it to be turned in today so I can wear it tomorrow for dress rehearsal."

Judah knelt beside the bed as he pulled Olivia to him, "I'm sorry, sweetie. I completely forgot to help you with that. What do I need to do?"

Olivia pulled away as she told him, "Not you, Mommy. Mommy's are the ones who make costumes. Daddy's build sets and Mommy's sew."

Kyle took the little girl's hands in her own as she made her look into her eyes, "No, Olivia. Mommy's do what they are best at, and if that involves set design then they do that. And if Daddy's are the better sewers then they do that."

Olivia bit her lower lip as she scowled at Judah, "But daddy stinks at sewing."

Kyle patted her hand, drawing her attention back to the woman, "Then I'll try not to stink when I make it for you."

Olivia was beaming again as she hugged her, "Oh, thank you, Mommy."

Then she was off like a spring as she bounced out of the room.

Judah let out a heavy breath as he watched her go before turning back to Kyle, "Sorry about springing that on you."

"It's fine. I just need to find out what it is I'm supposed to make."

"A lamb. She's going to be a lamb in the play."

"Okay, one lamb coming up."

Kyle only realized she didn't know what she was doing once everyone was gone and she had all the supplies in front of her. If she was the one who usually made the kids costumes shouldn't there be some kind of muscle memory to call on. And yet she felt like she'd never held a needle before in her life. The only thing that felt natural was when she found a book in the house on sewing. And then it was the motion of turning pages that felt familiar.

But it didn't look all that difficult once she'd read up on it. Before she knew it she was feeling pretty proud of herself as she finished one side of the costume and moved onto the other. By the time school was going to let out she had the whole thing done.

"I slay at this whole mom thing."

A call to Isabel got her a ride to the school where she went in to pick up Olivia and drop off the costume.

"Who's that?" asked one child of Olivia, as the girl held Kyle's hand.

"My mom," declared the girl with pride.

"That's not your mom," stated a little boy, "Your mom is dead. Or did you forget?"

The smile on Olivia's face went sour as she began to cry. Kyle gave the small boy a withering stare that shut him right up as she knelt down to comfort the child.

"Kids can be so mean. I'm sorry, sweetie."

"But he's right," bawled Olivia as she wiped at her eyes with the back of her arms, "I've almost forgotten my mommy and that makes me a bad girl."

Kyle's heart broke at the pain the little girl must be feeling. It had to be hard when you started to feel for the new people to take you in. What kind of guilt must riddle an adopted child at the worry that their parents would be forgotten and replaced by the new ones?

Kyle wiped at Olivia's eyes, "Honey, you're not a bad girl. And I know that you'll never forget your mom. She'll always have a special place in your heart, no matter how much time has passed. It's okay to love two mommies at once."

Olivia sniffed as she asked, "Even three?"

Kyle nodded, "The new mommy will never replace the old and the old won't be forgotten because of the new. They each hold a special place in your heart."

Olivia's cries became softer as she calmed down, "Really?"

Kyle's smile was gentle as she brushed back the hair that had fallen in to the girl's eyes, "Yes. I know no matter what happened to separate you from your mother, she loves you and it is more important to her that you are happy, not that you never forget her. Sometimes you just are going to. Your mind is going to be occupied with something else and in that moment you might only remember one mom, but that doesn't mean that you love her any less. It is a mother's greatest joy that her child be happy. Are you happy Olivia?"

The little girl nodded. Kyle hugged her close.

"Then don't worry about how many mom's you've had and just be happy. That's all we want."

Olivia let out a contended sigh as she held Kyle close. And though the act didn't feel familiar to Kyle, it did feel right, like something she'd been waiting to do her whole life.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

Judah was exhausted as he carried the trash out to the garbage. His whole body ached from the labor and he was ready to clock out. But he had asked the boss for overtime and it had been accepted. He needed the extra money.

Arin was wanting to start sports next year and that was going to cost money. Winter was getting close and the windows couldn't be boarded up but needed replaced. And the washing machine was acting like it was on its last leg. That was probably going to need replaced soon.

Back inside, the loud sounds of the factory reminded him of his present worries, just getting through the day. Once that was done he headed home where his kids greeted him with excitement as they tried all at once to relate their days to him.

"Woah, one at a time."

"Me first," called out Olivia as she started to tell how Kyle had brought to school "the bestest, most awesomest costume ever. It was even better than the store bought ones."

Judah gave Kyle a grateful smile, she just nodded as if it was nothing. As if it was just something she did on a regular basis; saving the day. Though he knew she hadn't been a mother in her previous life, she was awesome at it.

Had she wanted to have kids with Mr. Derringer? Was that why she knew how to bandage injured knees when Olivia ran through the house too fast and ended up crashing? Or was it just a woman's instinct that let her know something was wrong when Arin came home one day, slamming the door as he entered.

To Judah it just sounded like any other time he came home, but Kyle noticed something different in the way the door hit the wall. Then she was able to get out of Arin what was wrong, even though he grumbled and fought her the whole time.

"Some kids at school said he lives in a haunted house because of the way it looks. He's upset, but not because he's embarrassed, but because all his friends are stupid and won't come over to visit because they are scared of being possessed."

Though the young boy acted like he didn't like Kyle being around, "I don't like it."

"I know the situation isn't ideal, but—."

"It don't mean that, I mean it," Arin pointed at Kyle with a scowl.

But as the days went on Judah caught Arin relaxing his scowl, as he'd let a smile escape for a moment, before he noticed Judah watching, then he'd return to tough guy mode.

And after opening up to Kyle about the boy's at school, he did not object when Kyle asked for everyone to join her in the living room.

"Family meeting time."

Once everyone was seated, Kyle told them, "I've been going into town with Isabel and pricing some things. I think I've figured out a way to fix this place up for less than a thousand dollars."

Judah's eyes went wide at these words, "Are you serious?"

She nodded, "I had the scrap guy out yesterday and he said he'd take some of the larger things you couldn't move to the curb off our hands for some cash. And Isabel asked around and found some neighbors who had left over paint from repainting their own homes. We can do a kind of rainbow scheme on the paint job and I think it will look nice."

While Judah was at work Kyle stayed home and worked on the house. After school the kids would help and each time he came home he found another thing to wonder over. The first thing was the washing machine, which did not sound like it was about to die when he used it the next morning.

"Did something happen to the washer?"

"Titus fixed it yesterday. He said the basin lining was just worn out. It's fine now."

The next day the glass in the windows had been replaced. Then the house was prepared for painting and the third day he came home the painting was underway, starting at the base level.

Arin was using the push mower to cut down the grass over the recently vacated front lawn when Judah came home a day after the house was fully painted.

"Careful where you mow, buddy, there are rocks and metal parts that might be hiding in the grass."

"I know," replied Arin with a tired sigh, "Mom already reminded me."

Kyle noticed him beaming when Judah entered the home.

"What's up?"

"Arin just called you mom."

"Yeah, so?"

He knew she didn't get it but he hugged her in celebration anyway.

"Agh, Judah, you smell. Please take a shower first."

The water was warm a lot faster when he got in, "She must have had Titus take a look at the water heater," the hot shower felt nice against his tight muscles. Though he ached he reminded himself the tightness was good. It was a reminder that he was providing for his family.

Still, he couldn't help but let out a heavy sigh when he thought of how far he seemed to be from his dream. And each did it felt like he was moving further from it. Just today his boss had talked about giving him more responsibility.

"I know you haven't been working here long but I can see you're a hard worker and I know I can trust you to do a good job."

But it wasn't what he wanted.

Judah held his hands over his face as he let the water wash over his back. He couldn't think like that. It wasn't about him. It was about his family.

"Judah."

He looked over to see Kyle standing with the shower curtain pulled back. His eyes widened as she stare at him, then he was hurrying to cover himself, as he called out for her to close the curtain.

"Calm down, it's not like I haven't seen it before, right? Now where is the—seriously, stop screaming and listen, where are the charge cables. The mower conked out and I think the battery needs recharged."

His heart was still pounding after she'd left. He wasn't sure how much she'd seen, but from the smug look on her face as she'd left, he was sure she'd seen enough. He sunk down to the tub floor as his mouth hung agape. All thoughts of his cooking dream completely gone from his mind at the thought of being completely exposed.

He let out another distressed cry as he gripped the sides of his head.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

Kyle recalled how happy Judah looked each time he made food for them at night. The way his eyes lit up when he heard the kid's cries over how delicious the food was. It was a stark contrast to when he came home at night, with his eyes looking dead and his body drooped into a tired stance. It was like each time he left and came back a little more of his soul was being taken from him.

She hated to see him like that. She wanted him to be happy, like how happy the kids were when the house was finally completed so that Arin proudly said, "I'm totally going to invite my friends over now."

"Me too," added Stacie.

The two got into an argument over who would have their friends over first. Kyle broke up the fight with a look and then settled it by saying, "You can both have friends over on the same day."

"Are you sure you want to deal with all the extra kids?" inquired Judah later.

"I can handle a few more kids."

And she did. All she had to do was give them one of her patented stares when they were getting too rambunctious and they settled down. They knew not to mess with her, not to test her.

Having all the kids around didn't worry her, what did worry her was her husband.

Each day he seemed to be growing more and more distant from her. She'd awake in the middle of the night to find him gone. When she went looking for him she'd find him asleep on the couch. The next morning he'd be in their bedroom again acting as if he'd been there the whole night.

Was he upset with her for making him give up his dreams? She'd told him it would just be temporary, but Isabel had reminded Kyle that a lot of people temporarily put their dreams on hold and before they know it 40, 50, 60 years have passed and they no longer have the energy to do anything other than retire or die. And that's if they can make it that long without pursuing their dream. Some die off early, some in body, most in their soul.

Kyle didn't want that for Judah. But the kids still needed the cash, Stacie was looking like she was going to need braces and Olivia was prone to falling. What if one day she fell and it was really serious? They couldn't afford the insurance if it wasn't provided through Judah's work.

But each time she tried to touch him he pulled away. Each time they were alone in a room together he made every excuse to get away. He didn't have to say it, she knew she had let him down. If only she could fix it.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

Judah tried not to be alone in the same room with Kyle but this time he wasn't quick enough to get away as she closed the door, cutting off his escape.

He'd been sitting on the bed looking through classifieds, and he'd thought she was still occupied with helping the kids with their homework. Then he'd looked up and she'd been standing in the door way with an intense look on her face. A look that made his insides tingle.

"We need to talk."

He opened his mouth to speak but nothing would come out. He swallowed.

"I want to get a job."

His mind went blank for a different reason. Finally it reset, as he asked, "What?"

"You shouldn't have to be the soul bread winner. I'm sure I can find something that gives me time to drop off the kids in the morning and then get off in time to pick them up at the end of the day. And if not, Isabel says she can take shifts with me in getting them."

She came over, sitting down on the side of the bed as she rested her hand on his knee. The touch sent a heat through his body, but he forced back the flames as he focused on her words.

"But you don't have to."

"But I do. You have a passion, Judah, and you shouldn't have to give it up. My passion is this family, and if the family isn't happy, I'm not happy. And you're not happy, Judah."

He stared at her as his mind replayed her words like it couldn't process them, "This family is your passion?"

She gave him a look like she couldn't believe he didn't know that, "Of course it is. I love all of you. And it breaks my heart to think that I'm hurting you. I know how much you love cooking, I see it every time you make us a meal." She reached up, touching his face. Her fingers were so light on his face, making the fuzz on his face shiver under her touch.

Her expression was just as soft as her touch, her eyes showing the sincere pain she felt at thinking she'd caused him pain. The last time he'd seen such a look was on Rachel's face when she'd realized she was going to die and leave him.

"Judah," the way she said his name made the fire inside him reignite. Before he could think it through he'd leaned forward as he kissed her.

Her lips were softer than he'd imagined and his lips fit so perfectly with hers it was like they'd been made for each other. How had he waited this long to do this? Once he'd started he didn't know how to stop, it was like the whole time up till now he'd only been taking short breaths of air, but now he was finally able to fill his lungs fully as he breathed her in.

His hands were shaking as he took a hold of her shoulders, pulling her closer to him. She didn't pull away for any of it, but moved closer as if she'd been wanting this as well. And of course she would, she thought he was her husband, this is what couples did.

Husband.

The word brought Judah back to reality as he pulled back. It was like he'd touched a live wire that brought reality back life. This wasn't right. She wasn't his.

"Judah." There was a question in her eyes as she leaned towards him, as if expecting him to come back to her. But he couldn't.

He reached up, pressing the side of his thumb into his lips. They were still warm from the contact, but he couldn't reignite it.

"I'm sorry."

He was up and out of the room before she could move to stop him.

Out in the night air he hurried to the truck which started up on the first turn of the key. The whole vehicle rumbled as he sped down the gravel road, barely slowing as he turned onto the main road. He didn't stop until he reached Titus' house.

His friend was out on the front porch when he arrived and stood up when Judah leapt out of the cabin.

"Hey, buddy, what's going—?"

"I have to tell her."

"Tell who, what?" then the only thing it could be dawned on him, "What? Why? Things are going so well."

He wanted to say "too well" but instead told him, "It's wrong. You were right from the beginning, I'm only hurting her and the kids by keeping her around. Eventually she's going to remember and then she's going to leave and go back to her—." He couldn't bring himself to say husband. He couldn't bear to think of her in that man's arms. The man who hadn't batted an eye when he'd heard his wife was in the hospital with amnesia. How could someone do that? Hadn't he cared about her enough to marry her? Or had it always just been a marriage of convenience?

"I have to tell her before this gets much more out of control."

Titus gripped his shoulder as Judah started to pace, "Dude, calm down, you're not thinking this through. What if she never gets her memory back? Like you said, she wasn't happy back in her old life, but she is now."

"But what if I was wrong? I could even be wrong about her husband not caring. That could have just been something he blurted while drunk, but didn't really mean."

Titus snorted, "You only tell the truth when drunk."

"Even so, she should be the one to make the decision, not me."

Titus let out a heavy sigh, "Listen man, this is your life, and I'm not going to tell you how to live it, but I think you owe it to the kids to let them know before you break the news to her."

Judah almost dropped to the ground when he remembered Olivia's bright smile as she clung to Kyle while following her everywhere. Then there was Stacie who had been working for weeks to make a dress for Kyle to wear to her father daughter dance.

"I'm taking Mom instead of you. Mom's a much better dancer."

And even Arin had warmed up to her, seeking her out to help him with his homework.

"Kyle knows more about things than you, Dad."

She was a part of their lives now. Judah hadn't meant for her to become so engrained in their lives but it had happened and now that she was there he knew it would be hard to extract her.

That was why he wasn't surprised when Olivia started to cry when he broke the news to them.

"But she's our mommy!"

"She can't leave, my dance is this weekend, she promised she'd come."

"And I have that big history report coming up. She was going to help me make a diorama."

Judah knew it was all his fault his children were in pain. But he had to do this now, quickly, like a band aid.

"It's not right for us to keep lying to her. We have to tell her. It's the right thing to do."

He knew the kids knew this, but still they fought him, bargained with him, yelled and hit at him, but in the end they all agreed it would be for the best.

Too bad the best wasn't always the easiest thing to do. And it was rarely painless.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-One

Kyle sat in silence, her face unchanging as Judah delivered the news. On her lap Olivia cried, burying her little face in Kyle's shirt till it was soaked through. To her left Arin's face was like stone as a wetness betrayed his uncaring expression. Stacie was sniffling as her shoulders shook with the news.

When Judah was finally done they all looked to her, waiting for her reaction. Olivia was still crying as Kyle made her lean back while she wiped at her face with a tissue.

"I think I always knew at the back of my mind," came her slow reply. She focused her gaze on Olivia's nose as she instructed her to blow, "You all were so wonderful and yet I couldn't remember you. All I could keep thinking was that maybe you'd never been in my memories to begin with."

Judah looked sick as he turned his gaze away. Stacie was full on crying then as she buried her face in a pillow. Even Arin had lost his battle as a single tear slid down his cheek.

"And you say I actually have a husband out there," Judah looked tense. That truth made everything else so clear now, the distance, the reason he'd looked so guilty when he'd pulled away after finally making a move.

Olivia was snuffling as she gazed up at Kyle with such big eyes.

"And we don't have any children together?"

"No," cried Olivia, "Isn't that terrible? Don't go back to him. Stay with us. We'll be your kids and daddy can be your husband. You don't need that dummy."

Kyle wiped at the new stream of tears on the little girl's face, "Don't call people dummy."

"Then you're going," Arin's voice was tense as he clutched his hands into fists, "You're going to go to him and leave us behind."

"I suppose I have to, he is my husband. I should at least say hi, even if I don't remember him."

"But he left you," cried Stacie, "He doesn't deserve you."

"Even so, if I made a promise to be his wife, I should go back to him and let him explain himself. I don't know what kind of woman I was before, but I'd like to think she was someone who would at least give someone the benefit of the doubt."

"That's stupid," snapped Arin.

"Arin," reprimanded Judah.

"Well, it is," the young boy was on his feet as he hit his feet against his chest, "We were the ones that took you in when he left you in the hospital. We are the ones that want you, the ones that need you. He didn't even miss you. But if you leave us…" his voice broke as he was unable to go on.

But Kyle knew what he meant without him saying it.

"I appreciate that you've come to love me, a complete stranger."

"You're not a stranger," corrected Olivia, "You're our mommy. And you promised you'd never leave me."

Kyle looked at the young girl with a pain in her chest, "I know. I'm sorry. Adults sometimes forget that promises to stay can't always be kept. For now I have to say goodbye."

She picked Olivia up, setting her back on the couch as she rose to her feet. Before she could step away from the seat Olivia grabbed ahold of her, hugging her close. Stacie also ran over, wrapping her arms around the woman. Kyle hugged them back as Arin remained still.

"Arin, let's not act in ways that we'll regret later."

At this the boy rushed over, wrapping his arms around her as well.

While the kids hugged her, Kyle turned to look at the man that she'd thought of as her husband.

"I know you meant well in doing this for me, but I must tell you, you're not as nice a man as I thought you were."

Her voice broke as she said the words as a single tear slid down her face. Then she turned away as she buried her face the children's hug.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-Two

It had been a week since she'd left and Judah felt like his world had yet again come to an end. Each day it was harder and harder to get up as he headed off to a job he hated.

Things were no different for his kids who just went through the motions of going to school. He tried to get them to do their homework but when they asked "what's the point?" he had trouble coming up with answer. Still he got them to finish their papers, "It's something to distract you." It was the same excuse he used for himself when he woke up each morning and considered not going to work. "It's something to distract you." He never said the rest of the thought, "from the fact she's not here."

The house felt empty. The bed cold. The food had no flavor.

Nothing was the same.

Sometimes he found himself staring out the window, picturing her sitting under an umbrella reading a book. Did she ever think about them? Did she ever wonder how they were doing? Was it ever at the same time that he wondered the same?

He wanted her to be happy, but every now and then his selfishness won out and he wished that her happiness was found there with him and the kids.

A full week without her passed when Titus rushed into his house waving a pile of papers.

"We've gone it, Judah. We've finally done it."

Judah didn't have much energy to do anything other than sigh and let out an uninterested, "Done what?"

"We've finally got the means to open our own restaurant."

Judah's lips pursed as his eyebrows crinkled in confusion, "How's that? Neither of us has the money."

"We don't, but our new backer does," Titus waved the papers in front of Judah's face, as if they did anything to explain what was happening.

"What backer?"

"A friend of a friend told someone about our restaurant idea. And I guess when they talked about it they raved about your cooking. It piqued the interest of someone with money and I just got off the phone with them. And guess what, they are willing to part with some of that money to help us start. That and they're going to pay for employee's and their families insurance."

Judah was on his feet as it all hit him, "No way."

"Yes way."

"You're not serious."

"Dead serious."

Judah felt like a yoyo being yanked back from the fire only to be dropped back towards it. When Kyle had entered his home he'd been at the highest of the rope, then she'd left and he'd been dropped into the flames. But now he was back at the top waiting for things to drop out again.

He fell back onto the coach, "I don't know. I can't risk the kid's stability to pursue this dream."

"That's just it, this isn't a dream anymore, it's a reality. We are restaurant owners."

Judah could feel the flames of despair as he spun towards them, then just before touching them he was yanked back.

"Are you sure this is real?"

"I just got back from having my lawyer friend check over everything. It's all legit. We've got a backer and we've got a restaurant. Now all I need is my best friend the cook."

It was hard to believe that after all these years of just escaping the flames, and then being completely burned alive in the loss of his wife, that things were starting to look up for him. Though still a little hesitant he finally joined Titus in celebrating as they jumped around the room like two teenage girls.

Things were finally looking up for Judah Paloyo, if only Kyle was there to see it.


	23. Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty- Four

The backer was a foreign man who had been looking to expand his portfolio of investments. He wouldn't say exactly who had alerted him to Judah and Titus, but Titus' lawyer confirmed that he wasn't a scammer. He was a legitimate business owner with several credentials. He was just as excited as them about the restaurant and had all kinds of ideas about it.

"I hear you are exceptional at all kinds of cuisines, but especially Filipino. I would like to introduce that cuisine to this part of the country."

Judah was unsure as he questioned the idea, "Are you sure there's a market for it?"

"With my help there will be. Trust me."

Judah was so busy with getting things ready with the restaurant he almost forgot about his heartache with Kyle. But at night, alone in his bed, he was reminded again of what he'd lost.

The kids were starting to perk up as they got distracted with school and its various activities. Even when their mother had died they had bounced back before Judah. That didn't mean that they felt the loss any less, it was just something they were blessed with. Still he'd catch them on occasion stopping in their play to stare off into space. He'd catch Olivia holding a hair clip Kyle had worn as she cried into it. But this was happening less and less as days turned to weeks and weeks to months.

The restaurant was coming along nicely as they moved into the second month since her departure. The investor helped them decorate in a way that reflected the Philippine's but also would be familiar to the local customers.

"We don't want to culture shock them too much, but we want them to feel like they are entering a new world. But like in an adventurous way."

Titus was excited as he took night classes in business management. Even Isabel joined him, "To make sure he doesn't mess things up too much." And when they finally opened she became their hostess while Titus schmoozed the guests.

Judah was fine being back in the kitchen, back in the heat with the sounds of cooking going on all around him. When he was chopping he only briefly thought about her and the smell of her skin so close to him. As he set out a plate of Puchero to go out he only picture her taking a tentative spoonful for a moment.

She wasn't at the edge of his mind, just barely out of sight in a way that allowed her to easily slip to the front before he realized what was happening. Or so he told himself.

He knew it was a lie.

"Chef, someone wants to compliment you."

The waiter's voice pulled him out of another intrusion from his past. He wiped his hands on his apron, calling to the sous to take over as he headed out. The request was from table six. He smiled when the table came into view and he saw his children sitting there. Olivia was bouncing with excitement as she waved her arms at him in greeting then pointed at the booth in front of her. He waved back as he approached with a smile.

"And which of you is the one that wanted to compliment me?"

"That would be me."

Judah felt the world around him come to a stop as his heart leapt with recognition at the voice. Slowly, so as not to chase away the dream, he turned to face the speaker.

She looked so elegant, sitting there with her hair brushed back, face done up, and dressed in a tuxedo cut just right to accentuate her feminine figure. He had to be dreaming, the way she looked, the way she just sat there with her golden eyes glowing at him. It couldn't be real.

"Daddy, say something."

Olivia's order brought him out of his stunned daze as he swallowed back his emotions.

"It's good to see you."

She nodded ever so slightly, "I see Ramón put a lot of himself into the decorations. But you are all I taste in the food."

"He left the food completely to me. He didn't trust Titus with the decorations."

"I knew Ramón would be the right one to invest."

Judah's blink slowed as he took in her words, "What?"

She was as cool as she had been on the ship as she looked at him, as if she'd expected him to have known the whole time, "I am the one that recommended your business to Ramón. He'd mentioned to me how he'd wanted to invest in a restaurant and I recalled you'd wanted to start one."

He didn't know what else to say so he bowed as he thanked her, "For thinking of me."

"Of course."

He wanted to cry. Was this the only reason she was here? To make sure that he hadn't let her friend down in the investment. Sure, he hadn't known much about Kyle before she'd lost her memory, but he'd have liked to think she was at least partly like the Kyle who had lived in their home.

"Am I to take it that you've regained your memory?"

She took a slow sip of her water before answering, "Yes. Unfortunately for my husband."

He grabbed onto the back of the booth wall as he felt his world shift.

"So, you, you're still married."

"Yes." She flicked her wrist, so the chain on her arm came around to reveal a watch, "For two more hours, then the paperwork will all be through and it will be officially over."

Olivia cried out in distress as Judah fell to the ground, "Daddy are you okay?"

He wanted to assure her that he was, but his legs had just given out and they wouldn't regain themselves enough to let him stand on them.

She continued to act like someone just discussing business as she coolly stood to her feet, even as his own legs continued to be unresponsive.

She gazed down at him as she slid her hands into her pockets. "Sorry it took so long. Divorcing your business manager has a lot of untangling involved in it."

As Arin helped Judah to his feet her cold calculating expression was replaced by a soft smile, "I'd love to come back, if you'll have me."

Olivia was cheering before Judah had a chance to respond as the girl leapt across the table to wrap her arms around the woman's waist.

"Olivia, your dress," cried Stacie as she tried to pull her back, then gave up as she joined her in the celebrations. Kyle hugged each of them, extending her hand to Arin who turned the handshake into a hug.

Judah was the last one she approached as she asked him, having regained her cool demeanor again, "Well, Mr. Paloyo, what do you say?"

While she waited she reached out, brushing down his left eyebrow. Returning her hand to her pocket she gave him a grin that told him she knew exactly what he was going to say.

Instead of saying anything he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to him as he kissed her.

He could hear the kids squeal as Olivia covered her eyes and Stacie giggled.

He pulled the woman he loved closer even as he felt her breath him in. The act told him everything he needed to know. She was completely his just as he was completely hers.


	24. Chapter 23 (read after 24)

[Chapter Twenty- Three]

Things had come back slowly once Kyle arrived back at the yacht. There was her husband, or Mr. Derringer as she preferred to call him. She didn't need anyone to tell her that was how she referred to him. She just knew as soon as she saw him. She also knew from the sleazy way he grinned at her that theirs was a loveless marriage. He was a man of business, she was a woman of money and in order to make more money her parents had married her off to him so he could increase his business acumen.

Once she was back things returned to how they'd always been. Mr. Derringer went to shore for his "business deals" she'd always known what all they'd entailed. Limitless bottles of champagne and endless attention from women that weren't her.

On her part she tried to return to how things had always been for herself, but it was hard to focus on the words of the page when she kept thinking how she'd like to share this fact with Arin, "He'd love to learn this." She tried to skim through magazines, a less thought intensive exercises, but all the photos of clothes reminded her of Stacie. She had promised to accompany the girl to the father daughter dance, but it was probably better she'd actually gone with family.

"You _are_ our mother."

The memory of Olivia's insistence still got Kyle right in the heart.

She tried to push it all away but at a party out with Mr. Derringer one of the socialite's noticed her mind wasn't really there.

"I know you don't usually pay attention to what we say, but you're usually better about faking that you're listening."

"I'm sorry, Ramon, my heart's not really in this."

"Is it ever?"

"No, but it had finally found a place to roost. Now it longs to return."

The man's eyebrow arched in interest as she found herself pouring out her heart to him. The two had run in the same circles for years, even before she'd met Mr. Derringer. For a time the two had even joked about marrying, more on Ramon's part. If she was going to refer to anyone as a friend, Ramon was the closest to the mark.

When she was done he asked her, "What do you want to do?" He sounded so sincere and not since Judah had she heard anyone ask her that.

She wanted to go home, but could not yet bring herself to say it.

"I want to get things set up."

"And how do you want to go about that?"

"I seem to recall that you wanted to expand your business ventures. Wasn't restaurateur your next endeavor?"

He smiled, sipping his champagne before asking, "Did you have a suggestion?"

He looked a little surprised when she smiled demurely, "As a matter of fact, I do."


	25. epilogue

Epilogue

The kids were all wide eyes and gaping mouths as they gazed at the home.

"Is this really our new house?"

Kyle smile serenely as she nodded. Her response elicited screams as Olivia began to shake with glee.

"It's huge!"

Beside her Judah looked unsure as he asked her, "Are you sure we can afford this?"

She could see where he might be worried, with the large marble pillars stretched across the front entrance, the large entry way with double staircase, the big bedrooms, each with its own bath, and swimming pool with accessories in the back.

Patting his hand reassuringly, she told him, "We can afford it. Mr. Derringer may have invested the money, but it was all mine. And I had a very good lawyer."

It was his turn to gape as she let the kids wonder the house while she led the man up to the bedroom. There was a balcony on one side, with a large walk in closet taking up the whole other side of the room. The bathroom had a shower with waterfall and a bathtub with jets.

But she wasn't looking at any of that as she shut the door behind them.

"Judah."

He just pulled his attention away from all of it as he looked back at her.

"I know the ink isn't quite dry on our marriage license, but I don't think anyone would object if we started our honeymoon early."

His face was pink as she stalked towards him, removing an item of clothing one piece at a time.

"The kids are occupied with the house. Isabel and Titus will be here shortly to take them out for ice cream, and they have strict in instructions not to bother us. So…"

She could tell from his darting eyes that he knew he was trapped as the back of his legs it the edge of the bed. She had very little left on as she pushed him back on the pillow top mattress.

"Now I should let you know, I never really experienced my wedding night, so I'm expecting a lot. No pressure."

His little yelp was so adorable she wanted to bite him. And she did.

The tiger was finally free to pounce.

Author's note: I will be posting the rest of my stories (along with this one) over at /author/Cookbook/stories from now on (I like their upload process better. So if you liked this one and you wouldn't mind reading more head over there to check it out. This is the next story I've written with the same characters:

As a coroner Kyle has just met her weirdest patient yet. A young man that thinks he's a vampire. Though she wants to keep her distance, he has important information on a past case that holds great significance for her. She doesn't know what she'll find following this man down the proverbial rabbit hole, but whatever it is she's sure to awaken something in her she didn't know existed.


End file.
